The show also featured the presentation of the biography of Don Sergio Mantovani, also nicknamed “Don
Ruspa”, which was the title of the book, the parish priest of Modena and chaplain to F1 drivers through the
years. His nickname came from an incident earlier in his career as a priest, when he demolished a derelict
church in Modena with a bulldozer, to make way for a charity home for the homeless to seek sanctuary.
When asked if he was satisfied with his actions against a place of worship, his reply was no, as he hadn’t
managed to demolish the tower! For this “terrible” act against a (ex) Christian place of worship, he was given a
10 month suspended jail sentence, but the home was built and continues to this day to provide a place of
shelter for those in need. As an aside, it was here that Gigi Villoresi spent the last months of his life. He also
famously offered himself in exchange for Giulio De Angelis, who was kidnapped and held hostage for 5
months in 1988. He was the father of Elio De Angelis, the F1 driver who died in a testing accident driving a
Brabham at Paul Ricard in 1986.
There was a varied selection of vehicles on display, spanning a number of years, both in the displays and
sales areas, whilst there was a strong presence of the artisan craft companies involved in all aspects of
vehicle restoration, from metalwork, through paintwork and upholstery to electrical wiring. There was an
interesting stand that bore no name, and featured what the “guardian” claimed to be a Ferrari 250 GT S1 Pinin
Farina Spider, the chassis of which had been found in the USA, and was being rebuilt with a new body locally.
He further volunteered that the similar car which used to be in the Collezione Maranello Rosso in San Marino,
had been used as a model top replicate the body, hence the additional rear lights on the car on display, but
wouldn’t be forthcoming on the chassis number. So the question remains, is it real or is it a replica? Close by
was another Ferrari, or more accurately what was left of it, basically a bare 250 GTE body shell on a rolling
jig, which from the numbers stamped on some of the panels was a mix of parts from different cars. There was
also a hall dedicated to vendors of virtually everything associated with classic cars and motorcycles, from
spare parts to literature and “road art”, with a further outside vendor area featuring mainly the “grubby bits” and
restoration projects. It may not have the allure of the larger shows like Auto e Moto d’Epoca in Padova, or
Retromobile in France, or Techno Classica in Essen in Germany, but it has its own charm and regional flair,
making a visit worthwhile.
Keith Bluemel
03/2015
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